In recent posts we have been talking about new career opportunities within the new technology fields, like Internet and smartphones. In this regard, we made comments about such new jobs like Community Manager and App developer. Today we must refer to a totally different area, which can also be very profitable. We are referring to the sports industry (yes, it is an industry, that moves billions of dollars), and to  sports agents in particular.

A sports agent is a professional who works closely with an athlete and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for the latter. In return, the agent receives between four and ten percent of the playing contract and ten to twenty percent of the endorsement contract. Sports agents are the ones responsible for keeping all communications with team owners, managers, coaches and other individuals to help promote an athlete’s career. In the firs instance, then, agents are used to broker and negotiate contracts for their clients. Secondly, they are responsible for making recommendations in regards to their options. Lastly, agents often handle public relations matters for their clients and sometimes provide legal advice, where appropriate.

Becoming a successful sports agent is not easy, though. You have to comply with certain requirements, as adopted by each professional sports organization. Usually it includes taking an examination on certain subjects. It helps having a related career, like Law or Communications, for instance, and a deep knowledge of the particular sports you would like to be an agent for. In addition, you will have to take into account that it requires also a lot of traveling, and that income is not fixed, but depends solely on the contracts that the sportsman you represent signs.